WEST Devon Borough councillors have welcomed a checking system by the Countryside Agency which will give greater weight to the impact of Government policies on rural areas.
Cllr Peter Hill raised the issue at a meeting of the borough council last week when he said he was pleased that the Agency's chief executive Ewan Cameron was bringing the Lord Chancellor to heel over the decision to close rural courthouses, particularly Tavistock.
Rural proofing is something that has come into force since the release of the Rural White Paper - policies by Government departments and agencies are measured against a checklist to test the benefits or negative effects they would have on rural communities.
There are 14 characteristic features of rural communities, rural economies and environments which need to be taken into account in achieving more effective policy outcomes. They include greater travel needs, few information points, small economic markets and weak infrastructure.
Cllr Hill said Mr Cameron had the ear of the Prime Minister and if the Government was not carrying out rural proofing like it should he would soon known about it.
He criticised the Lord Chancellor for being too concerned about the cost of local justice instead of the action of local justice.
'I think it is very wrong that people have to travel great distances to court hearings,' he said. 'It should be easy to access courthouses and the fact that Okehampton is still open at all is down to a valiant fight in part by this council.'
It was agreed unanimously to support the motion by Cllr Hill which reads: 'That this council welcomes the Countryside Agency's intention to press for the rural proofing for all Government department and agencies policies, and in particular highlighting the complete failing of the Lord Chancellor to recognise the cost of access to justice to rural communities by his continuing threat to close rural courthouses such as the Okehampton courthouse.'